Former British WWII pilot fights to save Kurfuerstendamm church in Berlin as reminder of WW II
Charles Jeffrey Gray, a former British pilot, who carried out World War II bombing raids over Germany has joined a campaign to rescue Berlin's most famous wartime ruin - the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, near the Kurfuerstendamm. The church, which was built at the end of the 19th century, was destroyed during a British air attack in November 1943. Only its gaping, ruined tower remained and was later restored as a dark reminder of the war.
Now, the tower is in a dire state of decay, needing repairs costing 3.5 million euros (about 5 million dollars).
When Gray, 85, read in a British newspaper about the crumbling condition of the tower, he promptly fired off a letter to Wolfgang Kuhla, the chairman of the church's advisory board, urging that the tower be restored, and a fund launched to help raise the costs of its repair.
"The tower has to remain in place as a permanent reminder for future generations of the horror of war," Gray warned.
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Now, the tower is in a dire state of decay, needing repairs costing 3.5 million euros (about 5 million dollars).
When Gray, 85, read in a British newspaper about the crumbling condition of the tower, he promptly fired off a letter to Wolfgang Kuhla, the chairman of the church's advisory board, urging that the tower be restored, and a fund launched to help raise the costs of its repair.
"The tower has to remain in place as a permanent reminder for future generations of the horror of war," Gray warned.